for 1987, but development problems with
the missile's rocket motor delayed the
programme. A new motor made by Bayern
Chemie was selected and, in February 1988,
a BAe signed a renegotiated contract.
The Hughes AGM-65 Maverick short and
medium-range air-to-surface missile was
one of the most widely used weapons of the
Gulf War. Up to 5,000 may have been fired
against a variety of Iraqi ground targets,
including armoured vehicles protected by
bunkers and sand banks.
Few details of Maverick's use in the war
are available yet, although the US Depart
ment of Defense White Paper, Air Force
Performance in Desert Storm, says: "The
Maverick missile, used by the F-16 and
A-10, attacked armoured targets...The imag
ing infra-red (IIR) Maverick's performance
was crucial in the armour war. Since it took
only one missile to destroy each Iraqi tank,
a $70,000 Maverick equated to a $1.5
million T-72 tank. It is important to note
that Iraq had more tanks than Germany and
the UK combined. It was the fourth largest
army in the world. Maverick, an older
system which had been continually modi
fied to keep pace with modern war, played
a large part in the destruction of that
significant military force."
Six variants of Maverick are available, the
earliest two being the TV-guided AGM-65A,
which entered service in 1972, and the B
from three years later, both with a 57kg
high explosive (HE) shaped charge, war
head. The A version has a range of 3km, the
B an 8km range and improved optics. Both
have impact fuses; the launch weight is
210kg.
AGM-65D, the original (as opposed to
the TV-guided) IIR Maverick version, was
developed to give the USAF night and bad
weather capability. The missile retains the
A/B warhead but has a lower-smoke motor.
Launch weight is 220kg and range is 20km.
In 1986 Raytheon qualified as a second
source of production of the -65D.
Developed for the US Marine Corps
(USMC), the AGM-65E is a semi-active
laser-guided version. This wj(s the first
Maverick to introduce the 136kg blast
penetrating warhead, which has an impact
fuse with a selectable delay capability. The
-65E has a launch weight of 293kg and a
20km range.
The -65F has been developed for the US
Navy and, using the AGM-65D's IIR seeker,
has modified image-processing for use
against ships. The F has the same warhead
as the E, plus a 25km range and a 307kg
launch weight.
The latest Maverick is the AGM-65G,
developed for the USAF, an improved IIR
missile featuring, among other improve
ments, the larger warhead of the E and F,
a 25km range and a 307kg launch weight.
MAVERICK AIRCRAFT
Aircraft carrying Maverick during the Gulf
War included the USAF F-16, A-10 and
F-15E, while the USMC's AV-8B Harrier lis
and F-18s probably used the -65E laser-
guided version.
The type most commonly used by the
USAF was the IIR-guided -65D, although
TV-guided variants were also used. The new
IIR Maverick, the G, may also have been
fired, but details have not been released.
The 24 single-seater Jaguar A air support
aircraft of the French 11th fighter squadron
based in Al Ahsa made extensive use of the
Aerospatiale AS 30 Laser short-range laser-
guided air-to-surface missile.
Describing one Laser mission, Aerospa
tiale says: "On January 18 and 19, two raids
by two waves of 12 Jaguars each destroyed
major Iraqi munitions depots in Kuwait and
Ras-al-Qulayah. The first raid used AS 30
Lasers to destroy concrete-hardened shelters
harbouring Scud surface-to-surface missiles.
The second destroyed other shelters con
taining Exocet-firing installations left be
hind by the Kuwaitis when their country
was invaded."
By the end of the war more than 60
Lasers had been fired in anger. The wartime
kill probability was 95%, claims Aerospa
tiale, which adds that those which failed to
destroy their targets were all fired outside
range. Impressive TV footage of AS 30 Laser
missiles destroying hardened Iraqi targets is
good evidence of its effectiveness.
The AS 30 Laser is used with the ATLIS
laser designator/ranger pod, developed by
Thomson-CSF and Martin Marietta for the
French Air Force. The pod incorporates an
infra-red thermal imager for use at night
and a TV camera for use in the daytime.
The AS 30 uses mid-course inertial guid
ance with terminal phase semi-active laser
homing. It is supersonic throughout its
flight, and with an impact speed of Mach
1.4, it can penetrate 2m of reinforced
concrete: The 520kg, 3.65m-long Laser's
maximum range is 10km and it has a 250kg
warhead.
The AS 30 Laser is used on the French
Air Force's Jaguars and the French Navy's
Super Etendards, and is available on the
Mirage Fl and Mirage 2000 export models.
The French Defence Ministry has ordered
development of a variant for the Mirage
2000D and the Rafale. •
38 FIIGHT INTERNATIONAL 7 - 13 August 1991